MARBLEHEAD — The Marblehead teachers’ strike finally came to an end on Tuesday, with the two parties reaching an agreement that addressed key issues such as pay and paid parental leave.
At the School Committee’s press conference Tuesday night, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer stated, “The proposal that we had was what was adopted.”
The School Committee stated the proposal was a win for both parties. Although the MEA did not receive everything it asked for financially, it did receive “probably the best package that Marblehead has ever given to its union,” according to Kezer.
Here is a breakdown of what the MEA has received and what was in the School Committee’s proposal.
In year one, educators will receive a pay increase of 2%. This applies to all steps and goes into effect immediately. All summer and optional employment will also now have an hourly rate of $40 per hour, effective immediately.
Paid parental leave includes 15 days paid by the employer without deduction from the employee’s accrued sick time. If an employee is eligible for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), they can take up to 60 consecutive days of leave. Employees who are not eligible for FMLA, but are eligible for the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act can take up to eight weeks of leave. Both include the 15 days paid by the employer.
In the 3-year contract between the years 2025 and 2028, employees can expect a 10.5% increase at a minimum by the end of the four years.
Steps 1-11 will have a 2% increase for the school year beginning in 2025, a 3% increase for the school year beginning in 2026, and in 2027, step one will be eliminated, giving steps 2-12 a 3.5% increase. As for step 12, there will be a 3% increase in 2025, a 4% increase in 2026, and in 2027, a new step 13 will be inducted with a 2% increase above step 12.
All summer and optional employment will see an increase in hourly wages as well. Beginning in September 2025, the rate will be $42 per hour. In September 2026 it will rise to $45 per hour, and in September 2027 it will reach $50 per hour.
Temporary leaves of absence including pay in effect September 2025 will give employees up to 10 days per work year for all full-time employees. This will be subtracted from the employee’s sick leave accrued from the current year, but not from sick leave that has been carried over from previous years.
The School Committee emphasized in their press conference on Tuesday that the override will be necessary to fund this proposal. They called on community members to show up when the time comes to advocate for the override.
The override will be voted on at the Town Meeting in May 2025.
It is important to keep in mind these are all tentative agreements put out by the School Committee on Sunday, and neither the Committee nor MEA has released an official document regarding the agreement yet.
